According to the Seasonal Affective Disorder Association (SADA), this winter depression affects 7% of the UK population, with a further 17% suffering a milder form of the condition. Its greatest effects are during December to February each year but it can begin as early as September and end in April for some, so for nearly half the year up to a quarter of your workforce could be suffering. Symptoms include difficulty waking up in the morning, morning sickness, tendency to oversleep and overeat, lack of energy, difficulty concentrating on and completing tasks and withdrawal from friends, hence it clearly affects productivity in sufferers.

Most commonly light treatment is prescribed, however, research at Columbia University, New York in 1995 found that high output negative Ionisers were effective in treating SAD. Additionally, separate research conducted in 2006 found that “Naturalistic dawn simulation and high-density ionization are active antidepressants that do not require the effort of postawakening bright light therapy. They can be considered candidate alternatives to bright light or medication”. Further research found “that having these devices in the proximity of the SAD sufferer helps reduce the irritation and depression, while improving their energy level.”

Further trials are currently being conducted at Yale University in the USA, however, the benefits of installing an Ioniser rather than SAD lights is that its effects can be felt throughout the office, not just by the individual sitting at the desk with the SAD light, and is therefore a more efficient way to improve the health and happiness of your employees.

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This problem could be quite easily solved if they didn't change the time from BST to GMT at different points throughout the year. In the UK, it now becomes dark at 4.30PM, but in Summer it becomes dark at 10.30PM. I know that there is less light in the day, but the clocks could recently have been put in the opposite direction, such that it could be dark at 6.30PM these days, instead of 4.30PM (instead of putting the clock 'back', they could have put it 'forward').

I am 'seasonally affected' by the darkness that exists during the Winter months, and in the run-up to the Winter months (September, October), I am upset because I'm not looking forward to the darkness that exists during those Winter months. However, at the opposite end, things are better from February as it becomes noticeably brighter later and later each week (and warmer).